In general, a track of a crawler vehicle configured to groom ski slopes comprises a plurality of evenly spaced transversal bars and belts made of an elastomeric material upon which the bars are fastened. Sometimes, the track also comprises a chain connected to the bars. The track is looped around a rear wheel and a front wheel. The rear wheel is usually a drive wheel and, for this reason, has lobes that engage the spaces between the bars, or between the links of the chain, if present. The lower portion of the track in contact with the ground is the so-called traction portion of the track. Crawler vehicles are generally provided with supporting wheels that are located between the rear wheel and the front wheel and have the functions of keeping the traction portion in contact with the ground and distributing the mass of the crawler vehicle along the traction portion.
In view of the diameter of the supporting wheels being particularly relatively large, the traction portion of the track does not remain perfectly straight, but tends to form humps between adjacent supporting wheels to the detriment of uniform distribution of the mass, performance and comfort. In fact, the undulated profile of the track generates vibrations that impair comfort and accelerate wear on the track.
To overcome certain of these drawbacks, in EP Patent No. 2,079,628 it was proposed to replace the supporting wheels with supporting devices, which comprise straight rails that are pressed against traction portion of the track and are slidingly housed in a chain guide. This solution necessitates providing guides that are configured to house the rails and mounted on the tracks and relatively small rollers mounted on the guides to reduce friction. It follows that the supporting devices described in EP Patent No. 2,079,628 complicate manufacturing the tracks and significantly increase friction and, in consequence, energy dissipation by friction.